S.C. seeks public's views on restricting food stamps

State health regulators are holding a series of forums to allow the public to say whether the poor should be forced to eat healthier.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control is organizing the meetings to collect opinions about South Carolina's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The federal entitlement program was officially known as food stamps until 2008. But its name was changed to reflect a greater emphasis on nutrition and an increase in benefit amounts, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Officials are trying to target obesity in South Carolina, where two out of three residents are overweight or obese. Currently, food stamps can already be spent on weight loss products such as Dynatrim, Slim Fast, and Nutrisystem, as well as artificial sweeteners.

Gov. Nikki Haley and S.C. Department of Social Services Director Lillian Koller announced a plan earlier to seek a waiver from the federal government. It would be aimed at curtailing the use of food stamps on junk food and other items deemed unhealthy.

More than 878,000 South Carolinians participate in the federal program, which provides cash benefits totaling $1.4 billion per year.

Food stamps may be used for just about any food or food product except for ready-to-eat hot foods. Meals on Wheels deliveries, however, are covered, as are baby formula, goat's milk, Pedialyte and Pediasure, seeds and plants intended to grow food, and fresh produce.

Meals at soup kitchens and nutritional supplements such as Ensure and Boost, along with cooking sprays, such as Pam, are also accessible through the assistance program.

The concept is not new: Some hope to force those who depend on the government to limit later public expenses that stem from health problems tied to obesity. Some Democrats have objected to efforts to control low-income residents’ use of food stamps, in part, calling it impractical.

In 2007 the USDA released a report that argued restricting food stamps to healthy foods would be difficult to administer and enforce. The agency said that most food stamps are spent on the basics already: fruit, vegetables, grains, and meat or meat alternatives.

A report DHEC released in 2011 estimated that if South Carolina were to halt the increase in obesity, the savings would be $858 per adult in 2018, or $3 billion.

Even when food stamps aren't in play, limiting sweet, calorie-laden drinks has been difficult. This week a judge struck down New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's effort to limit sugary beverages.

DHEC's public meetings will be held from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the following locations over the next several weeks:

-- March 21 in Richland County Council Chambers; 2020 Hampton St. in Columbia

-- March 28 in the Bevis Conference Center in the Pee Dee Mental Health Center; 125 East Cheves St., in Florence

-- April 18 in Greenville County Council Chambers (County Square); 301 University Ridge in Greenville.

-- May 2 in Sterett Hall at the Navy Yard; 1530 7th St. and Hobson Ave. in North Charleston